The Mystery of Bruce Lee's Death

By: Jake Seal

Bruce Lee, dressed
in the traditional Chinese outfit he wore in the movie Enter The Dragon, was
laid to rest in Lakeview Cemetery in Seattle in late July of 1973. But long
before Lee's sudden and tragic death in a Hong Kong apartment at age 32, rumors
were rife throughout the Orient that he had been wounded or killed in fights.

"One day, I got a long-distance call from Hong Kong's largest
newspaper," Lee recalled. "They asked me if I was still alive. 'Guess
who you are talking to?' I replied."

Thus, when Lee actually did die, speculation abounded as to the cause. The
rumors ranged from Lee being killed by Hong Kong triads (gangsters) because he
refused to pay them protection money - —something that was common for Chinese
movie stars to do at that time —to his being killed by an angry martial
artist's dim mak (death touch) strike. Some people claimed Lee was cursed—he
had just bought a house in Hong Kong that was supposed to be haunted—or that
he had died while mking love to actress Betty Tingpei, or that he had angered
the Chinese martial arts community by teaching foreigners, and that he had been
killed in a challenge match.

Many Chinese believed Lee was the victim of too much gum Ilk (intensity) in
his training, while others cited drug use as the cause for his sudden demise.
Still others believed that Lee's fate was sealed at birth, that it was in the
stars. And, finally, there are those who think Lee's death was staged, and that
he is merely waiting for the right time to return to society.

The facts of the case are this: Lee died after falling into a coma. The
coroner's report was inconclusive, and medical authorities came up with five
reasons for Lee's untimely death. However, they all agreed that it was caused by
a cerebral edema (a swelling of the brain caused by a congestion of fluid). But
what caused the edema became a matter of speculation. For the most part, the
course of events on that fateful July day in 1973 can be pieced together.
According to Lee's wife, Linda, Bruce met film producer Raymond Chow at 2 p.m.
at home to discuss the making of Game of Death. They worked until 4 p.m., and
then drove together to the home of Betty Tingpei, a Taiwanese actress who was to
also have a leading role in the film. The three went over the script at
Tingpei's home, and then Chow left to attend a dinner meeting.

A short time later, Lee complained of a headache and Tingpei gave him a
tablet of Equagesic—a kind of super sapirin. Apart from that, Lee reportedly
consumed nothing but a couple of soft drinks.

At around 7:30 p.m., Lee lay down for a nap and was still asleep when Chow
called to ask why he and Tingpei had not yet shown up for dinner as planned. The
actress told Chow she could not wake Lee. The ensuing autopsy found traces of
cannabis in Lee's stomach, but the significance of this discovery is debatable.
Some believe the cannabis caused a chemical reaction that led to the cerebral
edema, but the coroner's inquiry refutes this theory. In fact, one doctor was
quoted as saying that the cannabis being in Lee's stomach was "no more
significant than if Bruce had drunk a cup of tea that day."

Dr. R.R. Lycette of Queen Elizabeth Hospital viewed Lee's death as a
hypersensitivity to one or more of the compounds found in the headache tablet he
consumed that afternoon. Although his skull showed no injury, his brain had
swollen considerably, from 1,400 to 1,575 grams. None of the blood vessels were
blocked or broken, so the possibility of a hemorrhage was ruled out. All of
Lee's internal organs were meticulously examined, and the only
"foreign" substance to be found was the Equagesic.

Chow came to the apartment and could not wake Lee either. A doctor was
summoned, and he spent 10 minutes attempting to revive the martial artist before
sending him by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. By the time he reached the
hospital, Lee was dead .

Foul play was immediately suspected as having a role in Lee's passing. Chow
appeared on television to try to settle the public furor that quickly developed.
He explained what happened, omitting only the fact that Lee had not died at
home. The press soon uncovered the truth, however, and demanded to know what
Chow was trying to cover up. R.D. Teare, a professor of forensic medicine at the
University of London who had overseen more than 90,000 autopsies, was called in
and declared that it was basically impossible for the cannabis to be a factor in
Lee's death. In Teare's opinion, the edema was caused by hypersensitivity to
either meprobamate or aspirin, or a combination of both. His view was accepted
by authorities, and a determination of "misadventure" was stamped on
Lee's death.

Strangely, an early death was a conceivability that Lee had contemplated with
surprising frequency. According to his wife Linda, he had no wish to live to a
ripe old age because he could not stand the idea of losing the physical
abilities he had strived so hard to achieve.

"If I should die tomorrow," he used to say, "I will have no
regrets. I did what I wanted to do. You can't expect more from life."